It's all over except for the official announcement regarding this year's State Team of the Year. There could still be some major changes in the final top 10, though, depending on what happens in this week's CIF Southern Section semifinals and finals.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand and Mark Tennis

(After games of Saturday, May 30)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 32-0
Playoff wins of 3-0 and 3-0 over Leigh of San Jose and Presentation of San Jose completed a dominant season for the Monarchs. They won their fifth straight CIF Central Coast Section Div. II title by beating Presentation last Saturday and closed it out with a sixth straight shutout. So how good was this team? In the 32 wins, only two of them were even one-run margins of victory. The first time we saw them, the top of order with outstanding slappers in front of Keilani Ricketts was especially impressive. Last Saturday against Presentation, the bottom of the order delivered line drives and hard grounders.

2.  (2)  Norco 30-2
Want some new news -- Teagan Gerhart allowed her second home run of the season and so, of course, an earned run last week. Thousand Oaks' Paris Shipp took Gerhart deep in the second inning and Norco trailed until the fifth when the Cougars broke through for four runs. They added three more in the sixth en route to a 7-1 victory that catapults them into the semifinals against Hart of Newhall. Coach Rick Robinson's team, winners now of 24 straight, opened the week with a 4-0 win over El Toro as Gerhart pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out 12. When Gerhart sent another dozen batters trooping back to the dugout with three strikes against Thousand Oaks, it gave her 321 and counting for the season. The Stanford University-bound Gerhart has practically been untouchable, allowing 11 earned runs in her 32 starts. Gerhart is also the co-leader on the team with 20 RBI but in all, six players have 10 or more. With Archbishop Mitty's unbeaten season complete, though, scaling the top spot even if the Cougars capture a Southern Section title is not possible.

3.  (4)  Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 26-5
The Eagles wrapped up their season two weeks ago by capturing the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship with a 1-0 win over No. 3 Sheldon of Sacramento. Sophomore Ally Carda allowed just two hits against a talented Huskies team that was number one in the nation earlier this season as the Eagles got revenge after losing twice to the Huskies in league play by winning the one game that mattered the most. Carda finished the season 25-5 with 380 strikeouts while batting .430 with nine homers and 39 RBI.

4.  (5)  Sheldon (Sacramento) 28-3
After being No. 1 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 for a good part of the season, the Huskies had their season end without a section title two weeks ago as they lost to Elk Grove and Pleasant Grove in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. For the second year in a row, the Huskies were "upset” by Elk Grove in the double-elimination portion of the postseason but unlike last year when they bounced back and didn't lose another game the Huskies saw their hopes of defending last year's section title end with a loss to Pleasant Grove. Jolene Henderson and Lindsey Ziegenhirt, who made up one of the top pitcher-catcher tandems not just in the state but possibly the nation, will graduate and both head to Cal next year leaving big cleats to fill.

5.  (7)  Santiago (Corona) 26-4
Kamerin May isn't even the best pitcher in the Big VIII League (see Norco), but a case can be made that the future San Diego State Aztec is the second best pitcher around. May hurled a five-hit, 1-0 shutout of Garden Grove Pacifica in the CIFSS Division I quarterfinals after getting more offensive help in downing Los Alamitos, 5-2. Against Pacifica, May struck out 11 and walked just one to snap the Mariners' 13-game winning streak. Lauren Sweet drove in Brianna Turang in the first inning and that's all May needed. Earlier in the week, Sarah Beeman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and double while Sweet was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. The Sharks will carry a modest five-game winning streak into the semifinals against Riverside Poly, another Big VIII school with which they split this season, losing 2-0 before winning 3-2.

6.  (6)  Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 26-4
It's a good thing games aren't decided in the first inning as the Broncos showed some playoff jitters, committing three errors to fall behind Yucaipa 2-1 after UC Riverside signee Alexis Villamor opened the game with a home run. VM settled down behind Cal State Fullerton recruit Aly Fascetti and rode Taylor Edwards' two-run double in the third plus a home run by Tatum Edwards, Taylor's twin sister, in the fourth to the 6-2 victory. It was Tatum earlier in the week who hurled a three-hit 7-0 win over Valley View of Moreno Valley, striking out 14. Taylor helped out with a triple and a double. There aren't many schools who have the wealth of pitching the Broncos can put on the field. Or who hit as many home runs as the two against Yucaipa give them a Southern Section-leading 45. Next up is Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga as the CIFSS Div. II playoffs reach the semifinal stage.

7.  (8)  Livermore 25-2
The two big questions coming into the North Coast Section Division I title game at Freedom were could the young, upstart Livermore girls hit Fresno State-bound Hannah Williams and would Cowgirls' starter Jessica Varady be able to match the Falcons' fireballer in the circle. Question number one was answered immediately as junior Katie Keller singled to lead off the game and came home on a two-run home run by sophomore Kaitlyn Taylor for the game's only runs in a 2-0 Livermore victory. "It was right down the middle for me,” said Taylor about a 2-2 changeup delivered by Williams. "It wasn't moving at all,” she continued. "It came right in there.” And it went right out over the right-centerfield fence around 215 feet from home plate. As for question number two, junior Varady pitched the game of her life, retiring the first 11 batters in a complete game three-hitter with six strikeouts, as Livermore won its first ever NCS softball title. "I woke up this morning and said we are going to win,” Varady told CalHiSports.com. "I didn't know how but I just could feel it.” "She was amazing against a great team,” said Livermore Coach Bill Keller, who in emails last week to CalHiSports.com predicted a victory. To get to the title game, Keller's girls had to get past Foothill of Pleasanton for the fourth time and did so with a 6-3 victory earlier in the week. With Southern Section teams still in action, Livermore could be as high as No. 4 in the final rankings if Hart wins the CIFSS Div. I title.

8.  (3)  Freedom (Oakley) 23-4
If Hannah Williams ever wanted to take back a pitch in her stellar four-year career as a Falcon it would be the first-inning two-out 2-2 changeup she threw to Livermore's Kaitlyn Taylor that was launched for a two-run homer and the game's only runs in a 2-0 defeat in the NCS Division I title game. The Falcons were looking to add an eighth NCS title to the seven they'd won since 2000, including five straight from 2002-06. After the home run, it was an old-fashioned softball pitcher's duel with Williams only allowing three more hits. Unfortunately for the loud crowd of Freedom faithful at the contest in Oakley, including Hannah's sister and 2006 Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Amanda Williams, their girls could only muster three hits and never advanced a runner past first base. The Falcons didn't have the same problem in a 6-0 semifinal win against Antioch earlier in the week.

9.  (9)  Hart (Newhall) 27-4
The Indians are making it a habit of winning games by a 1-0 score as they defeated Moorpark and Esperanza of Anaheim last week and have now won their three playoff games by a combined score of 3-0. Destiny Rodino allowed just two hits and struck out nine against Moorpark as she pitched to the minimum in a complete game shutout. Despite managing just four hits it was enough for a win as Tracy Chandless singled in the game's lone run in the fifth inning. Rodino was even more impressive in the quarterfinals against Esperanza as she struck out 12 and didn't allow a hit to make Jessica Shults' RBI single in the first inning stand up as the game's winning run. Hart faces Norco in the Southern Section Division I semifinals looking for revenge after the Cougars knocked the Indians out of the playoffs last year by a 1-0 final score.

10. (11) Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 27-2
Although the Eagles were outhit in both games last week, Etiwanda only allowed a total of two runs to move into the CIFSS Division II semifinals at home against Redlands. Natalee Pulver found herself in a rare position of pitching from behind on Tuesday as Irvine took a 2-1 lead into the fourth. That's when the Eagles' bats erupted for four runs to advance to the quarterfinals with a 5-2 win. Pulver didn't give Lakewood a chance take the lead as her five-hit shutout led to a 3-0 victory. Melissa Taukeiaho supplied most of the power as she went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run as part of the Eagles' four hits. In Redlands, Etiwanda will play a club it beat 5-2 in the Jurupa Valley Tournament early in the season.

11. (19) Poly (Riverside) 24-8
Sure, the Bears have eight losses but they're just one spot from the Top 10 and there are two Big VIII teams ahead of them. Playing outside the league seems to suit sophomore pitcher Desiree Ybarra. She did all she could do against Edison of Huntington Beach in the quarterfinals, hurling nine innings of no-hit ball while striking out an even dozen before Poly broke through to win, 1-0. Oregon-bound Kaylan Howard doubled to lead off the ninth and two wild pitches later the Bears were making plans for one more game, this one against fellow Big VIII rival Santiago of Corona. Earlier in the week, Poly made sure Valencia would not advance to its third straight title game (two consecutive DII titles) by scoring three runs in the sixth inning to pull out a 4-2 victory. Poly and Santiago split their two games with Santiago winning 3-2 most recently.

12. (14) San Benito (Hollister) 27-4
Regardless of what the CCS Division I seedings said the third-seeded Haybaler girls won their fourth consecutive championship. Coach Scott Smith's charges started the week with a 1-0 win over Wilcox of Santa Clara, scoring an unearned run in the first inning and then letting Marissa Ibarra do the rest, as the San Francisco State-bound hurler tossed a three-hitter. In the title game against Tri-County League rival Gilroy, the Haybaler girls overcame a 3-1 sixth inning deficit to post a 4-3 victory. In the bottom of the sixth, they loaded the bases and Jessica Steigelman delivered a three-run triple for the game-winner. Just as she had done in her freshman, sophomore and junior years, Ibarra pitched a complete game in the championship victory.

13. (20) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 24-4-1
The Trojans finished their season two weeks ago with a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship as they ended the season on a seven-game winning streak. Leading the way in the circle for all four of their postseason games was sophomore Kasey Stanchek, who tossed four complete-game shutouts and allowed just a total of four hits while striking out 41 combined in the four wins. For the year, she went 21-2 with 276 strikeouts and an ERA of just 0.43.

14. (NR) San Pedro 28-4
For the fourth year in a row and ninth in the last 10 years, the Pirates won the Los Angeles City Section softball championship but did so in dramatic come from behind fashion against Banning of Wilmington last week. With two outs in the sixth inning, the Pirates trailed 6-3 but were able to tie it with an RBI-single from Chloe Oro and a two-run infield hit from Kailee Cuico setting the stage for the walkoff-win in the seventh inning. Kayla Monroy collected the walkoff hit in the seventh as her two-out single scored Holly Stevens to set the championship celebration in motion. The Pirates ended the season as winners of their last 10 games.

15. (NR) Buchanan (Clovis) 26-7-1
In what could be the strangest ending of the season, the Bears won the CIF Central Section championship with a 5-3 victory over Stockdale of Bakersfield. Since Central Section teams fared well at the Santa Maria Best of the West tourney and at the NorCal Classic, Buchanan also receives a nice bump in this week's state rankings. Natalie Rendon pitched the final for the Bears and thought she had a shutout when strike three was called with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and two runners on base. After her catcher flipped the ball and ran to the circle to begin celebrating, however, the plate umpire called it a dropped third strike. The two Stockdale runners on base scored and the batter, Lauren Klotz, reached third base before the Bears could react to the bizarre umpire call. The next batter, Colleen Reed, then drilled a base hit to score Klotz, which brought up Ilyssa Espirito as the tying run. She also hit a liner, but it was caught by Buchanan's Bailey O'Dell, which set off the Bears on their second celebration of the inning.

16. (NR) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) 26-7
The Broncos jumped into the elite Top 20 in especially impressive fashion after shutting out the final three opponents last week to capture San Diego's Division I title for the first time in four years. It was truly the Laura Winter Show as the junior allowed just two hits while striking out 11 in the 1-0 victory over fellow Palomar League team El Camino, carrying a perfect game into the sixth. Oh yes, it was Winter's first inning home run that accounted for the lone run. Earlier in the week, she handled Poway in much the same manner, yielding two hits and hammering a home run in a 2-0 victory. Winter struck out 14 the first game of the week, a 7-0 romp over Torrey Pines, where Christy Nelson was the offensive heroine, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the decisive four run first inning.      

17. (13)  Edison (Huntington Beach) 22-6
A no-hitter at the hands of Riverside Poly ended the season for Chargers in the CIFSS Div. I quarterfinals. Earlier in the week, Edison moved on with a 5-4 victory over Foothill of Tustin. Senior second baseman Jordan Malavar blasted a three-run homer to lead the way. Outfielder Casey Africano also made a strong throw to nail a runner at third base in the seventh inning for the final out of the game. The Chargers should still rank fairly high in the final rankings since they would still be the top team out of the rugged Sunset League.

18.  (10)  Canyon (Anaheim) 24-8
The Comanches' run in the postseason came to a far quicker ending then they likely expected as they lost in the second round to Pacifica of Garden Grove by a 3-1 final score. Lauren Young gave them an early 1-0 lead in the first, which was nearly the lone run of the game before two-out heroics by the Mariners. Cheyanne Tarango was just one out away from a complete game shutout, but the the Mariners had the bases loaded in the seventh inning with two outs and Ashley Carlson tripled to score all three runs. Tarango, who is just a sophomore, struck out 234 batters this season.

19.  (17)  Thousand Oaks 25-6
Coach Gary Walin's Lancers posted a Southern Section Division I second round win over Pacifica of Oxnard before falling by a 7-1 score to Norco in the quarterfinals. The Lancers found themselves in an early 2-0 hole against Pacifica after giving up two runs in the first inning but scored the final six runs of the game with five of the six coming in the fourth inning. Kaelee Nelson knocked in two while also scoring a run in the victory. Paris Shipp's home run in the second inning gave Thousand Oaks a 1-0 lead over Norco, which was maintained until the fifth inning when Norco scored four times and then put it away with three in the sixth.

20.  (NR)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 25-4
Remember this team? The Titans started out 19-0, climbed to as high as No. 1 in Orange County and then dropped four of five games to nearly disappear from the rankings. They're now back after rolling through the early rounds of the CIFSS Division III playoffs. With pitcher Sam Pappas at full strength, Tesoro in fact had yet to give up a playoff run entering Tuesday's semifinals against Los Altos of Hacienda Heights. In last Friday's quarterfinals against Chino, Pappas allowed just three hits in 10 innings before the Titans won it on a walkoff homer by Kasey Lange. Earlier in the week, Tesoro blanked Warren of Downey, 6-0.

Dropped Out:
Previous No. 12 Notre Dame (Salinas); No. 15 Valencia; No. 16 El Modena (Orange); No. 18 Los Alamitos.

On the Bubble:
Antioch 19-7, El Modena (Orange) 22-10, Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta) 25-2, Los Alamitos 23-9, Los Altos (Hacienda Heights) 23-6, Notre Dame (Salinas) 26-6-1, Rodriguez (Fairfield) 22-8, Sutter 33-0, Valencia 25-7.

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